Workflow automation
Self-hosted alternatives to Make, priced
2 open-source tools that can replace Make, each shown with what it would actually cost to run for a team of 10 people. Make on the Core tier costs $10.00 a month at that size.
| Tool | Server only | With your time | vs Make | Operational weight | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | $12.00 | $124 | -$4,572 | medium | source-available |
| Activepieces | $26.40 | $139 | -$5,090 | medium | source-available |
The final column is the 36-month difference: positive means self-hosting is cheaper.
Which one to pick
n8n 204,061 stars
The base figure covers a single main process with SQLite. Heavy workflow volume wants PostgreSQL and queue mode with separate workers, which roughly doubles the floor.
At 10 people it needs 1.5 GB of memory and 11 GB of disk, which fits the Starter 2 GB at VPSServer for $10.00 a month. Setting it up is roughly 6 hours of work, then 1.5 hours a month to keep it healthy. Licence note: Source-available under the Sustainable Use Licence, not a classic open-source licence. Internal business use is permitted; reselling n8n as a service is not.
Full Make versus n8n breakdown · n8n at every team size
Activepieces 24,409 stars
Application, PostgreSQL and Redis. Isolated sandboxes for code steps are what push the memory floor above n8n's.
At 10 people it needs 2.7 GB of memory and 11 GB of disk, which fits the Starter 4 GB at VPSServer for $22.00 a month. Setting it up is roughly 6 hours of work, then 1.5 hours a month to keep it healthy.
Full Make versus Activepieces breakdown · Activepieces at every team size
How the pricing was established
Make pricing was read from its own pricing page on 2026-09-14. Server prices come from the providers listed on the hosting page. The sizing model and the cost of your time are set out in full on the methodology page.